The Nashville Predators made a huge splash when free agency opened Monday by signing Stanley Cup champion forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in a series of moves topping $100 million that made Smashville the center of attention on a record-setting, billion-dollar day across the NHL.
Stamkos, the very face of the Tampa Bay franchise, left the Lightning after 16 seasons, two Cup titles and two additional trips to the final to sign a four-year $32 million contract with Nashville.
“By no means did I ever envision that a day like today would happen, but it did,” Stamkos said. “It was definitely a bitter pill to swallow when it really started to materialize that it wasn’t going to work in Tampa.”
Stamkos turned to the Predators, made his decision, and got a call from Marchessault, a former Lightning teammate, asking if he was signing with them too. The worry was that it was one or the other.
“He said, ‘No Stammer, I’m coming, too,’” Stamkos recalled.
Marchessault got $27.5 million for the next five seasons less than 13 months after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the 2023 playoffs, when Vegas won its first championship.
The two will have company. Defenseman Brady Skjei signed with Nashville for seven years and $49 million, and Scott Wedgewood came in at $3 million for two years to back up franchise goaltender Juuse Saros.
General Manager Barry Trotz called it “a massive day for the future of our organization.” The Predators at $111.5 million became the first team to surpass $100 million committed to new players in free agency since the Florida Panthers five years ago started building toward the championship they won last week.
“It’s huge because it’s a statement, I think, for the rest of the league that these players will come to Nashville,” Trotz said. “These players see what we’re doing with our franchise. We have lots to offer, and we’re very determined to win. We’re committed to that.”
Marchessault was an original member of the expansion Golden Knights in 2017 and helped them reach the final twice and win the Stanley Cup last year. He is coming off scoring a career-high 42 goals and, like Stamkos, was one of his team’s most recognizable faces.
On the first day of free agency, teams committed a record $1.12 billion in contracts as more than 100 players changed teams. The total—the most ever spent in any single day of free agency, according to the website CapFriendly, which tracks such things—is a direct result of the salary cap jumping to $88 million per team, the first big increase since before the pandemic.
“A lot of cash,” Toronto General Manager Brad Treliving said. “There were some really good players available. You saw teams be aggressive, and lots of players changed teams.”
Winger Jake Guentzel signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with Tampa Bay after the Lightning acquired his rights from Carolina over the weekend, opting to pay him big money at age 30 rather than Stamkos at 34.
“Things just didn’t work out in Carolina, and then I heard Tampa might be trading for my rights, so obviously I got really excited because everyone hears how good of a team and good of a spot this is,” said Guentzel, who will count $9 million against the cap through 2031. “The pedigree behind Tampa Bay, the winning culture—just a lot of high-end players that really make it intriguing to come to Tampa.”
Jonathan Marchessault of the Vegas Golden Knights controls the puck in Game 5 of a Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars in Dallas on May 1, 2024. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
— The San Jose Sharks, bidding for improvement after finishing with the NHL’s worst record this past season, signed forwards Tyler Toffoli for $24 million over four years and Alexander Wennberg for two years and $10 million. Toffoli, 32, was a Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 and is coming off a 33-goal season split between the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets.
— The Kings signed former Edmonton winger Warren Foegele for $10.5 million over three years and gave rugged defenseman Joel Edmundson four years and $15.4 million. Los Angeles also lost a couple of notable free agents, winger Viktor Arvidsson to the Oilers and defenseman Matt Roy to Washington.
— Edmonton, which lost to the Panthers in seven games in the Cup final, re-signed depth forwards Corey Perry and Connor Brown for next season. Perry, the only player in NHL history to reach the final with five different organizations, got $1.4 million including incentives, while Brown, who had a goal and an assist in the seven-game series against Florida, signed for $1 million. The Oilers replaced Foegele with Arvidsson, giving him $8 million over two years.
— Washington, beyond trading for defenseman Jakob Chychrun, continued their roster overhaul by giving Roy a six-year contract worth $34.5 million, and also signing forwards Brandon Duhaime (two years, $3.7 million) and Taylor Raddysh (one year, $1 million).
— The Anaheim Ducks were the only club in the 32-team NHL that did not sign a free agent from another team, but saw winger Max Jones leave for a two-year, $2 million deal with Boston. The Bruins also signed center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year contract worth $54.25 million, and gave hulking defenseman Nikita Zadorov $30 million for the next six seasons.
— Fresh off helping Florida win the Stanley Cup, defenseman Brandon Montour signed a seven-year, $50 million contract with Seattle. The Kraken had a big day, also adding former Golden Knights center and 2023 Cup champion center Chandler Stephenson for $43.75 million over the same length of time. The Panthers’ exodus included defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz to Toronto, as well as forwards Ryan Lomberg to Calgary and Kevin Stenlund to Utah.
— Vancouver signed former Boston winger Jake DeBrusk for $38.5 million over seven years.
— New Jersey continued to build a playoff-worthy roster, signing two defensemen, Brett Pesce for six-years and $33 million, and Brenden Dillon for three years and $12 million, as well as forward Stefan Noesen for three years and $8.25 million.
— Toronto signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year contract worth $27 million after having acquired his rights from Dallas.
— The Stars kept center Matt Duchene for another season for $3 million and also signed defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Matt Dumba, the latter for $7.5 million over two years.
— Columbus signed center Sean Monahan to a five-year contract for $27.5 million.
— Hours after a rainy rally celebrating their Stanley Cup title, the Panthers beat Sunday’s midnight buzzer to re-sign forward Sam Reinhart to an eight-year contract worth $69 million, an annual cap hit of $8.625 million for a player coming off a 57-goal regular season.
— Forward Jordan Martinook re-signed with Carolina on a three-year deal worth $9.15 million.
— Chicago signed forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (four years, $22 million), Teuvo Teravainen (three years, $16.2 million), and Craig Smith (one year, $1 million), defenseman Alec Martinez (one year, $4 million), and goaltender Laurent Brossoit (two years, $6.6 million).
By Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow
